Why Rick Perry’s indictment could be a blessing in disguise

Points for Perry: Texas Gov. Rick Perry may be in an even stronger political position than he was before being indicted by a grand jury on two felony counts. That’s according to the Washington Post, which goes through points in Perry’s favor, including several prominent Republicans speaking out on his behalf, conservative activists in Iowa and New Hampshire not shying away from him as well as a well-known Democratic strategist saying the case against him may be flimsy.

She’s back:Hillary Clinton is going to Iowa for the first time since her failed 2008 run for the White House, Politico reports. The Sept. 14 event, retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s annual steak fry, will mark the unofficial kickoff of the public political season for Clinton, who has kept her post-State Department political appearances to a minimum.

Pulling ahead:House Democrats were in a better financial position than Republicans last month, with their campaign arm bringing in more than $11.5 million compared to the GOP’s $8 million. As The Wall Street Journal writes, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also has more money in the bank, with nearly $57 million on hand, almost $9 million more than its Republican counterpart’s reserves.

Holder in center:Eric Holder is back in a familiar spot: the center of the storm. The Hill writes about the attorney general’s delicate task of handling the administration’s response to the Ferguson riots, with people looking for him to ensure justice is served. He must balance the federal response against the risk of further politicizing and inflaming an already fragile situation that touches on race, class and police powers, the Hill writes.

Not that heavy: Here’s something for tax-watchers to chew on: Prof. Edward Kleinbard argues in an academic paper that the U.S. tax code, counter to the conventional wisdom, is not impeding global competitiveness. In fact, the opposite is true, he writes. The New York Times has more on his argument, which says lower tax rates overseas aren’t driving U.S. companies to inversions.